YOUTH SPORTS

Barber making mark in pool and community

Taylor Barber, 10, swims butterfly during practice with the Marlins Swim Team at the Newton A. Perry Aquatic Center at the College of Central Florida in Ocala, Fla. on Wednesday, June 5, 2013.

Star-Banner Photo/Bruce Ackerman

By Jamie VoisineCorrespondent

Published: Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 12:27 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 12:27 p.m.

Just 10-years-old, it’s hard to fathom how Taylor Barber could be a six-year veteran on the Central Florida Marlins swim team, but she is.

“As a toddler she had no fear of water,” explained her mother, Retta Barber. “She would just want to walk right into the lake or the pool and we were like ‘OK, she needs to learn how to swim.’ So we took her to (the College of Central Florida) because we had heard good things about their Swim America program.”

There, the younger Barber flourished and, at the age of four, was urged by her coach to tryout for the Marlins. She has been an integral part of the team ever since.

“The coaches are really helpful and encourage me, and physically they are tough,” she said. “Most of the kids there are nice and kind and I get along with everyone great.”

With practice four nights a week and meets on weekends, Taylor has devoted much of her young life toward swimming, but the straight-A student from Madison Street Elementary seems wise beyond her years when it comes to her true mission in the water.

“She’s African American and, you know, there are very few; as a matter of fact she is probably only one of three or four on the team in its entirety,” her mother said. “And she’s conscientious about that and not wanting to quit and wanting to sort of be that special person (for others to look up to), if you will.”

Out of the water, the ambitious youngster has a different kind of mission that she’s dedicated to.

“She’s a community service nut,” Retta Barber said. “Always wanting to do more.”

Added Taylor, “I like being able to help the community and help make the lives of kids and people all over the world easier and better.”

Specifically, Taylor has an affinity for reaching out to children who are in need of a helping hand — just like her mother.

“I have, all of my professional career, worked with kids at-risk or who have been abused and that sort of thing and I sit on several boards so I have always sort of been a want-to-help-people type of person,” Retta Barber said. “So she’s been able to sort of go with me on some of these things and so now — she just turned 10 — she has that interest and she has that heart.

“About a year or two ago, we watched a documentary on the number of homeless kids in Florida and she was just amazed,” she added. “They showed kids living in vans and stuff you always hear about. (After watching) she started looking locally to find out if there were any homeless kids that needed help.”

Taylor made and distributed fliers all around her neighborhood, to her teachers, and anywhere she could in hopes of collecting 15 to 20 items to donate to Coats for Kids. In the end, she reached her goal and then some, collecting more than 80 items for charity.

She also recently helped organize a drive in which her fellow Girl Scouts collected items for the Marion County Homeless Coalition for Kids.

“We sort of brainstormed about what we were trying to do,” Taylor said. “I wanted to get them involved to help see if (the Girl Scouts) could help raise more and it really amped up our expectations and helped us succeed.”

Over the first decade of her life, the girl who has posters of two-time Olympian swimmer Cullen Jones stuck to her bedroom wall and speaks of one day swimming for the Florida Gators has worked hard to make her mark in the pool, but even more admirable is the way she’s made her mark in the community.

<p>Just 10-years-old, it's hard to fathom how Taylor Barber could be a six-year veteran on the Central Florida Marlins swim team, but she is.</p><p>“As a toddler she had no fear of water,” explained her mother, Retta Barber. “She would just want to walk right into the lake or the pool and we were like 'OK, she needs to learn how to swim.' So we took her to (the College of Central Florida) because we had heard good things about their Swim America program.”</p><p>There, the younger Barber flourished and, at the age of four, was urged by her coach to tryout for the Marlins. She has been an integral part of the team ever since.</p><p>“The coaches are really helpful and encourage me, and physically they are tough,” she said. “Most of the kids there are nice and kind and I get along with everyone great.”</p><p>With practice four nights a week and meets on weekends, Taylor has devoted much of her young life toward swimming, but the straight-A student from Madison Street Elementary seems wise beyond her years when it comes to her true mission in the water.</p><p>“She's African American and, you know, there are very few; as a matter of fact she is probably only one of three or four on the team in its entirety,” her mother said. “And she's conscientious about that and not wanting to quit and wanting to sort of be that special person (for others to look up to), if you will.”</p><p>Out of the water, the ambitious youngster has a different kind of mission that she's dedicated to.</p><p>“She's a community service nut,” Retta Barber said. “Always wanting to do more.”</p><p>Added Taylor, “I like being able to help the community and help make the lives of kids and people all over the world easier and better.”</p><p>Specifically, Taylor has an affinity for reaching out to children who are in need of a helping hand — just like her mother.</p><p>“I have, all of my professional career, worked with kids at-risk or who have been abused and that sort of thing and I sit on several boards so I have always sort of been a want-to-help-people type of person,” Retta Barber said. “So she's been able to sort of go with me on some of these things and so now — she just turned 10 — she has that interest and she has that heart.</p><p>“About a year or two ago, we watched a documentary on the number of homeless kids in Florida and she was just amazed,” she added. “They showed kids living in vans and stuff you always hear about. (After watching) she started looking locally to find out if there were any homeless kids that needed help.”</p><p>Taylor made and distributed fliers all around her neighborhood, to her teachers, and anywhere she could in hopes of collecting 15 to 20 items to donate to Coats for Kids. In the end, she reached her goal and then some, collecting more than 80 items for charity.</p><p>She also recently helped organize a drive in which her fellow Girl Scouts collected items for the Marion County Homeless Coalition for Kids.</p><p>“We sort of brainstormed about what we were trying to do,” Taylor said. “I wanted to get them involved to help see if (the Girl Scouts) could help raise more and it really amped up our expectations and helped us succeed.”</p><p>Over the first decade of her life, the girl who has posters of two-time Olympian swimmer Cullen Jones stuck to her bedroom wall and speaks of one day swimming for the Florida Gators has worked hard to make her mark in the pool, but even more admirable is the way she's made her mark in the community.</p><p>Here's looking forward to the next 10 years.</p>